U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker will issue a ruling today on whether or not he will continue a stay on his Proposition 8 decision, which found the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to be unconstitutional.

If Walker lifts the stay, gay and lesbian couples could marry as soon as the decision is handed down. Los Angeles County and West Hollywood officials are already gearing up for such a possibility.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown filed briefs with Walker last week, asking the judge to lift the stay.

The ruling is expected to come between 9 a.m. and 12 noon, according to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which organized and helped fund the lawsuit that overturned Proposition 8.

West Hollywood officials have said that if the stay is lifted, they plan to marry couples as soon as possible. West Hollywood City Council members have already been deputized to officiate over weddings, and couples will need to make appointments with the city clerk's office.

In the current issue of L.A. Weekly, a news story titled "Young Gay Dreams of Matrimony" examines why twenty-something gays view Proposition 8's demise as a barometer of equality rather than simply gaining the right to marry.